Silva Anderson Lourenço da, Ribeiro Andréia Queiroz, Klein Carlos Henrique, Acurcio Francisco de Assis
Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil.
Cad Saude Publica. 2012 Jun;28(6):1033-45. doi: 10.1590/s0102-311x2012000600003.
The objective of this study was to evaluate factors associated with use of medicines by the elderly. A national postal survey was conducted with a random sample of 3,000 elderly individuals selected from the registry of the Brazilian National Social Security Institute. The study estimated the prevalence and average number of medicines used in the 15 days prior to the survey, according to age bracket. Prevalence of use of medication was 83.0%: 78.8% in the 60-69 year bracket and 87.3% in individuals 70 years or older (p < 0.05). Older elders had taken an average of 4.4 drugs, as compared to 3.3 among younger elders. Drugs for the cardiovascular system were the most widely used. Age 70 years and older, female gender, poor self-rated health, interruption of routine daily activities, six or more medical visits in the previous year, private health insurance, and reporting of four or more illnesses were independently associated with use of medications (p < 0.05). The results expand the knowledge on use of medications among elderly Brazilians, emphasizing the need to improve pharmaceutical care focused on this subgroup of the population.
本研究的目的是评估与老年人用药相关的因素。对从巴西国家社会保障研究所登记册中随机抽取的3000名老年人进行了全国性邮政调查。该研究根据年龄组估算了调查前15天内使用药物的患病率和平均用药数量。用药患病率为83.0%：60 - 69岁年龄组为78.8%，70岁及以上个体为87.3%（p < 0.05）。年长老年人平均服用4.4种药物，而年轻老年人为3.3种。心血管系统药物使用最为广泛。70岁及以上、女性、自我健康评价差、日常活动中断、上一年就诊6次或更多、拥有私人医疗保险以及报告患有四种或更多疾病与用药独立相关（p < 0.05）。研究结果扩展了对巴西老年人群用药情况的认识，强调了改善针对这一人群亚组的药学服务的必要性。
